Long live Teochew opera!

Mr Pang, 29, and his godmother Chong Lee Wah, 50, perform as a couple while a drummer plays at one side of the stage.ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Mr Glarence Pang uses the washroom of a shop at Tekka Market. Performances at easily accessible places attract more spectators but they are usually elderly people and, often, there are fewer than 10 of them. ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Above: Mr Pang checks on his social media feeds in between performances while his mother plays games on her smartphone. ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Above: Mr Pang, 29, his mother Chan Siew Keng, 56, godsister Joey Yeo (centre), 15, and Joey's mother Chong Lee Wah, 50, have known one another for years and regard themselves as being part of one big family. ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Above: Mr Pang receiving pointers on his singing from his father, who plays the yang qin. When Mr Pang was younger, his father did not approve of him performing in opera and he used to hide when his father turned up backstage. ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

A larger-than-usual audience watches as the troupe performs in an HDB estate in Yishun. It is only when performances are held at such locations that they attract more spectators. There are a handful of die-hard Teochew opera fans who will follow the troupe wherever it performs and sing along as they watch.ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Above: Mr Pang changes back into his work clothes and his mother checks her phone while waiting for him. He does not live with his parents and sees them more often only when there are performances.ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Above: Mr Pang leaving the stage after the show. On weekdays, he heads straight home after a show, to get rested before starting the next working day as a graphic designer.ST PHOTOS: SEAH KWANG PENG

Traditional art is past its heyday, drawing much smaller audiences, but it still attracts practitioners both young and old

They keep Teochew opera alive with ad-hoc shows, paid for mostly by temples or clan associations.

Mr Pang has a full-time job as a graphic designer but rushes off after work on some nights to pursue his passion for Teochew opera. He performs with the 23-member Sin Sin Yong Hua Teochew Opera Troupe together with his parents.

His mother, Madam Chan Siew Keng, 56, is also an opera performer, while his father, Mr Pang Chye Guan, 58, plays accompanying music on the yang qin, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.

ODD ONE OUT

My siblings ask why am I still involved in opera at my age and they say that I am crazy when they see me listening or practising my singing.

MR GLARENCE PANG, 29, who has been performing for 13 years.

The junior Mr Pang, who usually plays lead roles, is the only one of four siblings who has caught the opera bug.

This is although his parents preferred for him to focus on his studies when he was younger and, later, to concentrate on his career.

He says: "My siblings ask why am I still involved in opera at my age and they say that I am crazy when they see me listening or practising my singing."

Mr Pang has a godsister who also performs: Ms Joey Yeo, 15, the youngest member of the troupe.

She has sacrificed outings with friends to perform and has hardly missed a performance.

She says: "My friends watched me on stage once, and that was because we were going out after the performance.

"They said they couldn't believe I was doing this."

SEEING IS DISBELIEVING

My friends watched me on stage once, and that was because we were going out after the performance. They said they couldn't believe I was doing this.

MISS JOEY YEO, 15, the youngest member of the troupe.

She has been performing in the troupe since she was eight years old and learnt the ropes by observing how her mother and the older members perform.

Mr Pang, who speaks in a strong but slightly gruff voice, says he has performed in countless shows.

He usually reaches the show venue an hour before a performance and sometimes skips dinner if he is running late.

He takes about an hour to put on his make-up and, while some troupe mates say he takes too long to get ready, he says he wants to look his best to "impress audiences or photographers and to be professional".

He says: "I feel terrible if I have to wear a dirty or torn costume."

The audience size for Chinese opera has dwindled over the years. It is not helped by the fact that the shows are usually staged in temples or industrial areas, which can be inaccessible to the wider public.

Younger people do not understand the dialects used, and so cannot appreciate the story being told.

The lack of young performers, coupled with the retirement of seasoned performers, makes the future of the performing art bleak.

Opera enthusiast Ang Chai Soon, who is in his 50s, says competition from getai - concerts staged mainly during the Hungry Ghost festival - is another reason for the flagging interest in Chinese opera.

But Mr Pang, who aspires to run his own troupe some day, says he hopes Teochew opera troupes can one day perform "not only in temples, but also in regular and more accessible venues such as theatres, and that will allow us to reach more audiences".

Those who are interested in Teochew opera can search "Xin Xin Rong He" on Facebook to find the troupe's page, which gives updates on its performances.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 28, 2016, with the headline 'Long live Teochew opera!'. Print Edition | Subscribe

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